leaves from the vine
by ohmytheon
Summary: It's Fuyumi's twenty-third birthday and she couldn't ask for a better day. Everything is there - everything except for one important part of her. That doesn't stop her from celebrating it the best way she can.


**Notes:** I found out this morning that it is the birthday of the best sister ever, so I decided to do something last second. I'm one of those people that subscribe to the theory that Fuyumi and Touya are twins. I don't know how popular it is, but it's probably my favorite sub-theory in the Dabi is a Todoroki theory, which, as everyone knows, is my favorite thing ever. Fuyumi deserves the world and one of these days she's gonna get it. For now, um, sorry but here's so family feels.

* * *

Fuyumi couldn't have asked for a better day.

To be honest, she hadn't expected much when she woke up. When she was young, it was never a huge affair. Her mom baked a little something, give a present or two, and that was that. The only reason her dad acknowledged the day was because it was one step closer to her quirk manifesting. After it did (and it was a disappointing one), it never came up again, not until she was an adult and he, in admittedly a very awkward way, sent her a text and gave her a gift card. It was better than nothing, she supposed.

When she was a teenager, there really wasn't time to celebrate her birthday. She was either busy with schoolwork, busy with doing household stuff, or busy taking care of her siblings. Between sixteen and twenty, her family forgot her birthday altogether. It was fine. Her friends from school would do or say something for her, but at home, it was just another day. They always asked about birthday parties - because surely the number two hero could afford to pay for a huge one - but she'd never had a party before.

Her twenty-first birthday was the first time it was something special. Her coworkers threw a small surprise party for her at the school, which had made her burst into tears. They'd worried they had upset her, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Who knew something a simple as a tiny gathering with a little cake and a sign with her name on it could mean so much? She couldn't explain to them that she'd never had something like this before. They would look at her weird. It had meant more to her than she could ever explain.

Turning twenty-three wasn't a big deal, but for the first time in forever, Fuyumi felt like she was a part of a family. On her way to work, Shouto called her from U.A. to wish her a happy birthday and Natsuo sent her a very loud video text with him singing to her. At the school, her students surprised her with little gifts ranging from food to cards they had made at home with their parents. A lot of them came up to hug her throughout the day. They were so young, but it had touched her deeply. A few coworkers had chipped in for cupcakes and even got a gift for her. Around lunch, her dad sent her a text as well. It wasn't much, but it was something and she appreciated it.

After work, she went to visit her mom at the hospital, shocked to find Natsuo and Shouto there already. She'd walked into the room, a greeting on her lips, only to shock back and cry out when Natsuo popped a streamer in the air and they all shouted, "Happy birthday!" She might've ruined Shouto's shirt from the way she clung and cried all over him. It was the best thing she could ask for. They'd spent hours hanging out, playing board games, and chatting. By the time the sun had set, Fuyumi could honestly say she'd never been happier, especially on her birthday.

"Sorry it wasn't a lot," Natsuo said apologetically as he zipped up his jacket.

"It was perfect," Fuyumi told him honestly.

"We can take you out for dinner this weekend," Shouto offered.

Fuyumi waved them off. "You don't have to do that."

"Nah, it's the least we can do," Natsuo replied. He tapped his chin thoughtfully and then grinned at Shouto. "You got one of Dad's cards, don't you?"

Shouto furrowed his brow a little. "Yes."

"We should go on a shopping spree and buy her some expensive stuff," Natsuo suggested, the grin on his face gleefully wicked.

"Natsu!" Fuyumi exclaimed, her cheeks turning pink.

Her brother just laughed. "I'm joking."

She genuinely wasn't sure if he had been. Judging from the look he and Shouto passed each other when they thought she looked away, he wasn't. Maybe she should remind Shouto again that she didn't need anything else for her birthday in case he got the idea in his head too. He was quite passive aggressive when it came to their father.

After hugging their mother goodbye and thanking her once again, the three of them left the hospital and went their separate ways. Shouto had to return to U.A. while Natsuo went back to his townhouse on his college campus. With the day at an end, Fuyumi went home. It was lonely without Shouto there. It wasn't like their dad was good company. He was at work anyway, which was to be expected. He'd always been a workaholic, but now that he was the number one hero and after that very public fight with High End, he was at work more often than home. That left the house entirely devoid of life. It wasn't so bad since she'd been with people she cared about all day.

Maybe she should get a cat. Their dad had never let them have pets as kids, which left them to play with any strays they came across. He probably wouldn't say no. To be honest, she could get one and he might never be the wiser for a few months. Her brothers would find that amusing. They always considered her such a stickler for rules and had brought up how much she still deferred to their father on more than one occasion, but she had her moments too. She was getting braver and more confident in herself. He hadn't shattered that completely.

With the house empty, that left Fuyumi to do whatever she wanted. She walked into the dining room and set down the last cupcake of the day on the table. In the kitchen, after rummaging around the drawers, she found what she was searching for and walked back into the dining room.

Taking a deep breath, Fuyumi placed a single candle in the cupcake and used a match to light it. She sat down on a pillow and stared at the fire for a few seconds. It was only when she noticed the tears dripping onto her knees did she pull her eyes away from the flames and use her fingers to the tears from her face.

"So it's our birthday," Fuyumi said to herself. "We're twenty-three. Not that it's a big deal or anything, but I remember when we used to talk about what we'd be like at this age." She paused, letting the memories wash over her. "I always wanted to be a teacher, so I guess dreams do come true."

It was through sheer stubbornness that she had managed to remain positive throughout her life. It shouldn't have been possible. She had taken on the brunt of the household work so Natsuo could focus on school, along with taking care of her own studies. Luckily, their father paid for Shouto to have a private tutor so she didn't have to worry about him as much. It had shielded Natsuo from the hardest times, enabling him to be the ray of sunshine she adored.

Truth be told, Fuyumi wasn't always positive. Some moments, she felt like her mother and it scared her. It was never as bad as her, of course, but not slipping into a dark fog was impossible. She got sad and overwhelmed. Her anxiety and insecurities left her rattled and questioning herself. Sometimes all she could do was cry in her bed until she ran out of tears, took a deep breath, and moved on. It wasn't healthy to bottle up emotions. Shouto struggled with doing that, but she hoped he was getting better.

"The kids at school were so sweet," Fuyumi continued, gazing at the tiny, flickering flame. "I'll be eating apples with every meal for the rest of the week. It's a good thing I like them. You'd be so disgruntled, but you ate everything even if you hated it." Sugary sweets hadn't been much of a thing at home, so when she'd started to eat things like cakes and such with friends, it had upset her stomach at first. She still didn't have a sweet tooth. "Remember when you ate like half a cake because you were starving and threw up for the next hour? You were so stubborn about that."

It hurt. It hurt so much. She could feel the pain building inside of her chest, starting as a dull throb and turning into a sharp stab. She swallowed it down when it threatened to come out of her, forcing it to remain there. She would deal with it soon enough, but not at this moment. This has been a wonderful day. It would be that way until the very end.

"Natsuo, Shouto, and mom threw me a surprise party," Fuyumi said. "It was so nice being a family. That was the best present they could've got me. We were together." Her throat constricted painfully and tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to spill again. "I wish-" She could do this. She could get through it. For him. "I wish you'd been there. It really would have been the perfect day then." She wiped at her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat again. "I hope that- I hope that, wherever you are, you had a great day too. You deserve it. Back then, even if no one else made a big deal about it, you'd always surprise me with something for our day. I looked forward to it every year. I just hope you've got someone to do the same for you now."

Even though they'd never really done anything for her birthday, she had never been alone for it. There had always been someone at her side, blowing out candles with her. Someone for her to hold onto as their mom took their picture for the family album, their cheeks pressed against each other's and big smiles on their faces. Only one of those photos had survived her father's purge. She pulled it out of her wallet now, setting it next to another photo of when they were older, probably the last one she had of them.

Her birthday was one of the few times their father didn't bother with him. He'd pop in her room with a surprise - either a poorly drawn card or something equally ugly but endearing - and they'd just sit in her room and talk for hours or read books or color. He could hide there. Sometimes, their mom took them to the park, most likely to get them out of the house and give him a break. It didn't take long for him to get exhausted, but he would push through it until they got back home and he had to all but carried to his room. He was smaller than her. People couldn't believe they were the same age - that he was technically the oldest - but they were.

"I miss you," Fuyumi finished, her voice finally breaking. "I couldn't have asked for a better day - because I couldn't ask you to come back, not after everything that happened to you." Her lips trembled, but then she took a deep breath and shakily let it out, a strange calmness coming over her. "Happy birthday, Touya. I hope it's the best one yet."

Wax drippings all over the cupcake, Fuyumi blew out the candle and then she went to bed, leaving it there. Touya wasn't here to sneak into the kitchen for a late night snack like usual, but it was the thought that counted. A part of her would always leave a light on at home in case he came back, even if it was just in her heart. She knew the others thought he might not be around to have another birthday, but Fuyumi knew he was. It was a twin thing.

She just hoped he was happy. That was what she really wanted for their birthday.


End file.
